MCU Ships
by whoperhero
Summary: What's a fangirl to do when Avengers Infinity War sinks my favorite MCU ships? Why, ignore the movie and write about them anyways of course! If you're looking for a variety of ships from all over the MCU timeline, you've come to the right place.
1. FrostIron

**AN: Wow, it's been so long since I've written any Fanfiction! I was getting board of The Avengers, but then I saw** _ **Avengers Infinity War**_ **and regained inspiration.**

 **So, how this story will work is each chapter will feature a different couple from the Avengers fandom. The chapters will not be related, and will take place between various movies, probably before Infinity War due to certain reasons that I won't mention (Spoilers!). If the story does take place after Infinity War, I will make that clear at the beginning of the chapter. Oh, also, these stories will just feature mildly romantic/suggestive dating activities, no bedroom scenes.**

 **This chapter is about my favorite ship, FrostIron! It takes place in some vague, AU time period after** _ **The Avengers**_ **.**

FrostIron

"Hey Lokes, have you seen the—"

PFFFFFFFFT!

Tony looks at the floor of the Stark Tower kitchen he had just entered and discovers a whoopie cushion under his foot… as well as a hundred other whoopie cushions completely lining the kitchen floor.

"Haha!" Loki says, casting his invisibility spell aside and revealing himself to be seated at the kitchen table.

Tony sighs. "Glad you're having fun Loki."

Loki frowns. "What is the matter, Tony? 'Tis just a prank."

"Yeah, I know," Tony replies, "but the board expects a new Iron Man suit by tomorrow, and I haven't even started on it yet." Tony tiredly stumbles over to the coffee maker, sighing again as his footsteps are accompanied by squelching.

"I know," Loki says. "I was trying to cheer you up, but I'm afraid I have just made things worse." He snaps his fingers, causing the whoopie cushions to disappear, then walks away with his head down.

"Hey," Tony says, rushing over to Loki. "Thanks for trying, really," he says, giving Loki a peck on the cheek when he still looks uncertain. "As soon as the suit's done, you'd better be on your toes for my prank!"

Loki smiles. "Very well."

…

Tony, being the genius that he is, manages to finish the suit in just a few hours. He looks at his Stark Phone and realizes it's only 4pm. Smirking, Tony goes back to "work", this time working on prank ideas for Loki….

…

Loki sits down in his favorite reading chair, leaning back slightly and crossing one foot over the other as he settles down to read. He had already finished one book today and was hoping Tony would be done with the suit by now, but fate had not allowed it to be so. After a few pages, Loki decides to head down to the lab to see how Tony is doing. He tries to stand up… and finds he is unable to! "What manner of magic is this?!" Loki exclaims.

"Only the finest of superglue," Tony teases, appearing from behind the curtains.

Loki shakes his head. "I would'st be angry, but this "super-glue" is quite ingenious. Might I study it?"

"Only if you promise not to use it on me," Tony replies, as he frees Loki from the glue-infused chair.

Loki rolls his eyes. "Do you think I, the god of mischief, would need to resort to your _mortal_ pranks?"

"Hey! Watch it with the M-word," Tony says. "After all, I am a genius, so you just might lose this pranking contest."

Loki smirks. "A contest, you say? I shall surely win!"

…

The next day, Iron Man shows off his new suit to the board to much applause. He flies home cheerfully, and lands in his lab, only to discover all his other Iron Man suits have been bedazzled! They are covered in hot pink rhinestones, the color clashing horribly with the red of the suits.

"Hello dear, how did the meeting go?" Loki asks, casually leaning against the lab doorway like nothing out of the ordinary was going on.

"It went well, 'dear', now would you mind undoing this spell? Villains won't take me seriously looking like Lady Gaga made my suits."

"Ooh, I'm afraid I can't do that," Loki says. "I used the internet to learn more about superglue and discovered many other delightful Midgardian pranks. This one did not even require magic," Loki comments, holding up a bedazzler gun for Tony to see. "But I'm sure a genius like you can get them off in no time," Loki says, walking away as Tony gapes at him.

"Loki! Get back here!" Tony exclaims, but he knows it's useless. When Loki is determined to win a contest, he gives it 100% effort. Well, two can play at that game. "DUMM-E, U! Clean off those rhinestones. I have a boyfriend to prank!"

…

Later that day, Loki turns on the hot water preparing to take a nice, relaxing shower. Instead, he yelps as ice-cold water pours down on him! Loki quickly turns the water off, but upon looking in the mirror, he discovers the damage has already been done. His Jotun form is showing, his entire body covered in frigid blue skin with the demonic red eyes of his nightmares. Unable to stand the sight, Loki throws his cloths back on and opens the door, preparing to sprint back to his room and spend the rest of the day hiding there. Instead, a camera clicks.

"Ha! That's what you get for bedazzling my suits!" Tony says, staring at his cellphone. "I can't wait to see the look on your fa—" Tony frowns at his cellphone as the image finishes downloading. Confused, he looks up at Loki. His mouth opens. "Wh—" he begins, but Loki runs away before Tony can finish his thought.

"Loki, come back." Tony calls, as Loki barricades himself in his room. "That was a great magic trick."

"It was not a trick, it is my true form!" Loki wails, throwing himself on his bed in despair. He had never wanted Anthony to see this side of him. He felt terrible enough throwing Tony out of a window while under Thanos's mind control during the battle of New York, but this is no mind control. This is Loki's true self: a monster.

Tony is silent for a moment, then, "You look great, blueberry buns. Why didn't you show me sooner? Man, I can only imagine what Thor must look like with—"

"Do you think this a joke?!" Loki roars. "I am a Frost Giant, the most hated creature in the Nine Realms! The Allfather hath made it his mission to slay as many Frost Giants as possible! Why he would ever adopt one…" Loki falls silent. He had never meant to tell the truth. Lies are his specialty. The truth hurts. Loki waves his hand, causing a calm illusion of himself to appear over top of his tear-streaked face.

"Loki, open the door," Tony says.

Loki ignores him, instead snapping his fingers, which results in his suitcases packing themselves and appearing in his hands.

"Loki—"

"Are you quite done?" Loki says as he opens the door, sounding clam thanks to his glamor, while in reality, his voice cracks.

Tony frowns as he takes in Loki's human appearance and suitcases. "Loki, wait," Tony says, but Loki walks right past him towards the elevator. "Hey!" Tony yells physically blocking Loki's way. "I don't know what your idiot dad told you, but you're no monster. You're the cutest, funniest, most magically-talented alien guy I've ever met!"

"It is not just Odin's opinion, all of Asgard believes the same."

"Then all of Asgard is wrong!" Tony exclaims. "Just like everyone was wrong about me when they thought all I care about is partying and making money. I decided to stop making weapons the way my father did just because it's a good source of money, instead, I'm helping to make the world a better place. I don't know if these other Frost Giants are as bad as everyone says they are, but even if they are, it doesn't matter. You can be better than your parents. You already are.

"Tony," Loki sobs as his calm illusion fades away, his sharp-witted tongue for once at a loss for words. Before he knows it, Tony is hugging him, actually hugging him despite him being a Frost Giant. Seconds go by, then minutes, and still they are hugging. Loki doesn't want it to end, but then again, Tony is Tony….

"So, when you say 'frost', how cold are we talking?" Tony whispers into his ear. "I'm always up for trying new things in the bedroom, but if we're talking frostbite cold, I'd rather not freeze my d—"

"Tony!" Loki yells, cutting him off from that train of thought. He's not that angry though. After all, if Tony doesn't think his Jotun form is that big of a deal, then maybe it really isn't.

 **AN: So my headcannon is that Loki turns into his Jotun form whenever he gets cold enough that he is on the verge of frost bite, and that Asgard is a warm planet, so that never really happened there. Not sure if that's true or not. Also, the end of this chapter was somewhat inspired by** _ **Average Sized Slightly Cold Blue Creatures**_ **by NCSP.**


	2. SpiderPrincess

**AN: And here is my favorite ship since** _ **Black Panther**_ **came out, SpiderPrincess, aka Spiderman x Shuri! Takes place anytime between** _ **Black Panther**_ **and** _ **Avengers: Infinity War**_ **.**

 **ChloboShoka: Thanks, Tony is my favorite character to write :)**

SpiderPrincess

"Mr. Stark! Sorry I'm late, there was this billboard, and I thought it was pretty solid, but when I shot a we—oh, hello," Peter stops apologizing as he realizes there's another person in the lab.

The black teenage girl raises an eyebrow at Peter before ignoring him and turning her attention back to Tony. "As I was saying, if you re-route the wires here, and here, and fortify the suit with Vibranium here, you can increase the structural integrity of the Iron Man suit by 30% and decrease the weight by 20%."

"Wow," Tony says. "That could possibly, definitely work. You know what, I'm going to try it right now. Peter, would you mind showing Shuri around?" Tony says, shooing them out of the lab.

"Sure thing Mr. Stark, what should I—"

SLAM! Tony shuts the lab door in Peter's face, but not before Peter sees the excited gleam in Tony's eye that he gets when working on tech. Peter knows Tony won't be leaving the lab anytime soon, so he turns his attention to the attractive girl in the Nyan-cat t-shirt and jeans. "Hi, I'm Peter," he stammers. "Parker. Parker Peter—I mean Peter Parker!" Gosh, why do cute girls make Peter so tongue-tied?

"Shuri," Shuri replies, grasping Peter's wrist with her hand. It takes Peter a moment to realize this must be what people do in her country instead of shaking hands, as her accent suggests she is foreign. Peter grasps her wrist as well, desperately hoping his hands aren't sweating.

"That's impressive how you were able to help Mr. Stark with his Iron Man suit," Peter says as he lets go of her wrist. "Are you a new employee here?"

Shuri chuckles. "No, I am just visiting. I am a scientist in my home country and wanted to help."

"Way cool!" Peter exclaims. "I want to be a scientist too, but I'm not that good at it yet. I'm only fifteen."

Shuri smiles. "You'll get there," she says, not mentioning that she's only sixteen.

"What country did you say you were from again?" Peter asks.

"Wakanda," Shuri replies.

"Oh, that cool country with all the tech!" Peter exclaims. "Isn't the king coming here sometime soon?"

"King T'Challa is here now," Shuri replies. "I did not wish to go to the UN meeting with him, so I came to see Avengers HQ instead.

"Whoa!" Peter exclaims. Then he realizes he hasn't even shown Shuri around yet. "Um, I guess I should show you around then. Here's some other labs," Peter says, walking with Shuri down the hall. "Here's the kitchen if you're hungry." Peter points out. "And here's the common room."

At this, Shuri perks up. "Is that a Wii U?"

"Yeah, do you play?"

Shuri laughs. "Do I play? You should see how many extras I've unlocked in Mario Kart."

Peter gasps. "No way! Mario Kart is my favorite game!"

Peter and Shuri look at each other. "Want to play?"

Three hours later, Tony re-emerges from the lab to find Peter and Shuri in the middle of an intense game of Mario Kart.

"Ha, a super mushroom! Beat that!" Peter exclaims, as his Yoshi character takes first place.

"Ok," Shuri replies. She hits a button, and the dreaded blue winged turtle appears in the little circle on the edge of Peter's side of the screen.

"No!" Peter shouts. "The finish line is right there. Come on, come on—"

Then the turtle shell dive-bombs Yoshi right before he crosses the finish line, causing Shuri's character of Daisy to cross the finish line first.

"Nooooo!" Peter wails, causing Shuri and Tony to smirk.

"Peter be nice, she's a guest," Tony says, causing the Peter and Shuri to finally notice him.

"How is your suit?" Shuri asks.

"Incredible!" Tony exclaims. "All the updates you suggested work. I think I might even be able to improve it beyond what you suggested, but first, I have a question about the Vibranium. Would you mind taking a look at the suit?"

"Of course," Shuri replies. "Although I do need to leave in an hour or so," she sighs. "Princess duties and all."

Peter frowns. "Princess duties?"

"Whoops, did I not mention King T'Challa is my brother?" Shuri asks. "His UN meeting has just ended," she comments, as a hologram of T'Challa getting in a car pops up out of Shuri's beaded bracelet, "so he will be here to pick me up soon."

Peter just stands there in shock for several seconds. "You're a princess," he finally gasps, as Shuri and Tony head back to the lab to work on some tech together. "I just played Mario Kart with a real-life princess." Peter remains standing and staring at the hallway Shuri disappeared down for a while, unsure what to do next. All he knows is that spending time with Shuri was the most awesome thing ever!


	3. Helanos

**AN:**

 **Black' Victor Cachat: Whoops, you're right, a princess probably would have bodyguards. The chapter ended up being shorter than I wanted it to be because I don't know that much about Shuri's life. For example, I was going to have Peter and Shuri talk about high school, but then I was like, wait, did Shuri go to high school or was she tutored at her palace or something?**

 **SPOILERS FOR** _ **INFINITY WAR!**_

 **THIS IS A CRACK SHIP! PLEASE DON'T HATE ME! Ok, so I was watching a YouTube video about how shipping has changed since** _ **Avengers Infinity War**_ **, and in the comments section, someone wrote "Does anyone ship Thanos with someone?" Some people said Thanos x Death, because apparently in the comics, Death is a person and Thanos is dating her? Someone else said Thanos x Mantis (no!), and another person said Thanos x consequences for his actions (the best pairing, tbh).**

 **Anyways, it got me thinking about whether or not there was another MCU character so evil that they would date Thanos. After all, if even the Joker can find a date (Harley Quin), then why not Thanos? Obviously, The Avengers wouldn't be interested, and I doubt even a less-evil supervillain like The Vulture would be thrilled to wake up and discover half the population gone. No, the only villain that could stand Thanos is someone who enjoys killing as much as he does, who would go so far as to murder their own family members to achieve their goal. Someone like… Hela. She's obsessed with power and killed anyone who stood in her way. Sound familiar?**

Helanos

The Infinity Gauntlet cracks as Thanos travels back in time to heal the stab wound Thor gave him. The blond Asgardian is shouting something, but Thanos ignores him and uses the Space Stone to teleport away. Once Thanos is safely on some out-of-the-way planet, he sighs and takes the Infinity Gauntlet off to inspect the damage. He feels about as damaged as the glove. Between murdering his favorite daughter that he adopted/kidnapped and fighting like thirty Avengers, it has been a long day. Thanos sets the Infinity Gauntlet down on a rock and watches as it gradually repairs itself. He decides to do something relaxing next. Maybe he should teleport to Japan or wherever and smile creepily at the sun….

Just then, a swirling black portal appears right in front of Thanos, and out steps a lady! She has pale skin and is wearing a long green dress and a hat with horns on it. "Hahaha!" she cackles. "Thanks to the sudden increase in deaths, my resurrection spell worked! I am back, and more powerful than ever before!"

Thanos frowns. "I'm sorry, who are you?" he asks, confused and a bit distracted by the attractive lady.

"I am Hela, Queen of Asgard!" Hela yells proudly. Then she lowers her head and sighs. "Or I would be if my idiot brothers, Thor and Loki had not destroyed the planet, but no matter. I shall be queen of whatever new planet they have settled on, a better Asgard!"

"Loki, you say?"

"Yes, do you know him?" Hela asks.

Thanos sighs. "Unfortunately. He is dead now, along with half of the Asgardians," Thanos says, deciding to get to the point. If this lady is going to fight him, he wants to get it over with.

"No!" Hela shrieks. "I was to be queen of Asgard! ALL OF ASGARD WILL BOW BEFORE ME!"

As Hela proceeds to basically throw a temper tantrum in front of Thanos, he starts to get annoyed. "Forget about Asgard, lady!" he snaps. "If you are really so powerful then you should set your sights higher. There is a whole universe out there waiting to be conquered," Thanos says, giving Hela the same kind of inspirational speech he gives his adopnaped daughters. It's one of the many reasons Thanos is such an A+ dad if he does say so himself.

Hela immediately stops shouting. "You're right," she whispers, standing completely still and staring in awe at something behind Thanos…. Too late, Thanos realizes he left the now fully repaired Infinity Gauntlet just casually sitting on a rock. "The Infinity Gauntlet," Hela whispers. "And this one is no fake."

Thanos's eyes widen, and he reaches for the Infinity Gauntlet, but before he can grab hold of it, a black tendril pops up underneath the gauntlet and flings it into the air!

"No!" Thanos shouts, jumping into the air to catch it, but he is shoved aside by another tendril of dark magic. A third tendril knocks the Infinity Gauntlet to Hela, causing it to land on her outstretched hand…

"NOOOO!" Thanos yells, charging towards Hela as she is surrounded by a rainbow glow, but he is too late.

"I AM QUEEN OF THE UNIVERSE!" Hela declares, then promptly vanishes into a Space Stone portal, leaving Thanos to mope on the deserted planet. He can't believe he let himself get so distracted by the attractively powerful Asgardian lady that he forgot about the Infinity Gauntlet for even a second! Bringing the universe to balance had been his goal for centuries, and now, with a snap of her fingers, Hela could bring Loki and the other Asgardians back to life, as well as everyone else who had been turned to dust by the Soul Stone. Thanos sits down on a rock, defeated, and waits for Hela to ruin his plans.

A few minutes pass, and, surprisingly, nothing happens. No one shows up to kill Thanos or even talk. That is, until Hela teleports back to him.

"You're back," Thanos comments, surprised Hela is back so soon.

"Yes, it has been quite some time," Hela says, casually brushing a speck of dirt off the Time Stone the same way a less-evil woman might tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

Thanos is instantly on guard, realizing Hela must have been using the Time Stone. "Come to kill me?"

"Kill you?" Hela laughs, and it is a genuine laugh, not an evil cackle. "Whatever for? You have given me everything I've ever wanted. Finally, I am not only the ruler of Asgard, but the ruler of all! With one brother taken care of, and the other obsessed with killing you, there is no one to stand in my way!"

"There's me," Thanos growls, furious that this woman doesn't even see him as a threat.

Hela smirks. "And what could you do to stop me now?"

"You haven't seen the full extent of my powers," Thanos says, starting to cast a spell to at least somewhat defend himself from the power of the Infinity Stones.

"It seems I have not," Hela agrees, watching intently as Thanos uses dark magic. "I assume you are worried I will bring back the half of the universe's population that you disintegrated?"

Thanos doesn't speak, but his glare is enough of an answer.

"I thought so," Hela sighs. "It seems you don't know me at all. All I want is to rule. I don't care over whom. The beings you killed were what allowed me to come back to life. Best not to look a gift horse in the mouth and resurrect them now. Besides, ruling the universe can be lonely," Hela comments, giving Thanos a suggestive look while shapeshifting her spikey helmet away to reveal her prettier and less threatening hair. "It would be nice to have someone on my side for a change. Would you care to join me for dinner?"

"Very well," Thanos says, pretending to go along with what is obviously a trap. Whatever Hela has planned, the only thing that is going to happen is Thanos discovering Hela's weaknesses and taking the Infinity Gauntlet back. That is the only reason Thanos is going to spend time with Hela, not because she is pretty or anything, no, not at all!

 **AN: What do you think? Super cringy? Somewhat ok-ish? Whatever the case, I will not be writing about the two of them again.**

 **According to a different YouTube video, Thanos has some superpowers even without the Infinity Gauntlet, such as super-strength, super-reflexes (which he doesn't use here because he gets distracted by finding Hela attractive), and magic skillz like Doctor Strange.**


	4. ScarletVision

**AN: So this is another ship I'm not 100% ok with. As a fangirl, I ship all sorts of people who are on the same side of the good/evil divide, on opposite sides of the good/evil divide, opposite genders, the same gender, whatever. ScarletVision makes more sense than some couples I ship, since they are actually dating in the movies. They're both lonely, have psychic powers, and Vision is kind of adorkable.**

 **On the other hand, now that I'm majoring in Computer Science, I feel awkward shipping a human and a robot. Hopefully potential employers won't read this and think I'm a total weirdo, lol.**

 **This chapter takes place shortly after** _ **Avengers: Age of Ultron**_ **. No one specifically said, so it's my headcannon that Vision has both Ultron and J.A.R.V.I.S.'s memories in his head as well as their code.**

ScarletVision

Pietro is dead. Her brother is dead. It's all Wanda can think about as she lies in bed and stares at the ceiling. For years, Wanda and Pietro had survived on the rough streets of Sokovia, Wanda's quest for vengeance and Pietro's sense of humor the only things keeping her going. When Strucker offered the twins a chance to gain powers, Wanda was thrilled at the chance for vengeance. That was before the whole Ultron fiasco. Now, she can no longer hate Tony Stark for dropping a bomb on her house, as he suffered through much worse having to watch as the robot he built murdered most of the people in Sokovia. As for Ultron himself, the robot that murdered her brother, Wanda couldn't seek vengeance, because Ultron was already dead. There was no reason left for Wanda to live.

In another room, Vision watches the video feed from the security camera outside Wanda's room with a growing sense of unease. She hadn't left her room all day, not even to eat, which, according to a Google search, is a necessary human function. Vision had been concerned about Wanda ever since she had stayed behind in Sokovia, prepared to go down with the city and end her life. Vision had rescued her then, and he wasn't going to lose her now. He continues hacking the camera feed, seeing no problem with this invasion of privacy as it is what he was programmed to do as J.A.R.V.I.S. It had been one of his many jobs to monitor the security cameras, yet he was only allowed to do anything about what he saw under certain circumstances. For example, if burglars were breaking into the tower, he was to alert Sir immediately, but if Sir… er… Tony locked himself in his lab for days on end to try to distract himself from his problems instead of actually talking about them, J.A.R.V.I.S. was not to say a word. Now, however, Vision has the freedom to help people with their problems, so as another hour passes with no sign of Wanda leaving her room, Vision decides to take matters into his own synthetic hands.

"Wanda?" Vision calls, knocking gently on her bedroom door. When Wanda does not immediately respond, he decides the appropriate response is to quickly fly through the wall into her room.

"AAAAAAAH!" Wanda shouts, as Vision materializes inside her room. She scooches backwards on her bed so quickly that she bangs into the wall behind her. "What are you doing in my room?!" she shouts, rubbing her recently bruised back.

"I thought you might like some company," Vision says, realizing he's done something wrong, but not quite sure what.

"Then knock on the door and ask if I would like a normal human being!" Wanda exclaims. "What if I had been changing or something?"

"I had not thought of that," Vision replies. Being a robot, Vision doesn't really need to change his cloths or even wear any. He only does so to fit in with the humans around him. "Erm, would you like me to leave?" Vision asks.

Wanda is about to says yes, when she notices the hurt look on Vision's face. "No, you may stay," she sighs, deciding that having an image of Vision's sad face seared into her brain would be worse than pretending to be happy. "Is there something you want to talk about?" she asks, trying not to sound as sad as she feels.

"I am sorry about your brother," Vision says, as he assumes that is what Wanda has been upset about all day. This time, he assumes right.

"It is not your fault," Wanda replies, trying not to cry. "It is Ultron's fault. He is the robot that murdered my brother, that destroyed my entire city and most of the people who lived there. You are not to blame for that."

"That is not entirely true," Vision replies, eyes downcast. He isn't sure how much Wanda knows about how he was created, about how 80% of Ultron's code is also a part of him. Sure, it wasn't Vision who killed Pietro, but having so many of Ultron's memories makes him feel guilty all the same.

When Vision lapses into silence, Wanda grows concerned. She considers reading his mind to discover what is wrong but decides against it. After all, if she doesn't want Vision entering her room without permission, she probably shouldn't read his mind without permission. "Sorry for moping about my brother when you have never had one," Wanda sniffles.

"It is ok," Vision replies, but that is not entirely true either. Tech wise, Vision is basically a better version of Ultron. Much like how the Samsung Galaxy S7's with exploding batteries were replaced by the Samsung Galaxy S8's that work just fine, Ultron, the murderous peacekeeping robot was replaced by Vision, the robot who is more or less peaceful. Yet Vision is more complicated than a phone, he has human emotions, emotions that are different from Ultron's. Because of this, it makes more sense to use the human term of "brothers" to describe Ultron and Vision, since they both have Tony as their "dad". That is why Vision is still a bit sad about having to kill Ultron, because, despite his murderous ways, Ultron was the only other super intelligent robot on this planet full of humans that Vision could talk to about robot stuff. Now he has no one.

"Are the Avengers treating you well?" Wanda asks, as Vision once again grows silent.

"Yes, they are treating me fine," Vision replies. "In fact, they invited me, and you as well, to watch a movie with them this evening."

"A movie. We could never afford those in Sokovia," Wanda whispers, more to herself than to Vision. "What movie will they watch?" she asks, snapping out of her thoughts.

"I believe they are thinking of a Disney movie," Vision replies. "They will vote on one once everyone who is coming is there."

"I hope they choose a good one," Wanda mumbles, turning away from Vision.

Vision frowns. "You may come too."

Wanda shakes her head. "They do not want me there. I still scare them."

"That is not true," Vision says. "Steve said he knocked on your door to invite you, but you did not answer."

When Wanda's only response is to stare at the wall listlessly, Vision grows concerned. Hesitantly, he sits down next to Wanda on her bed. "Wanda, the Avengers do care about you," he begins. "They are giving you time to grieve but would be happy to spend time with you if you're ready for it. I think you should see this movie," Vision decides.

Wanda shakes her head. "It is too much."

Vision is silent for a moment, then "Would it help if I came?"

Wanda is about to say no, when she realizes that yes, it would help if Vision came. He's the only person in this fancy tower full of Avengers that isn't scared of her, and she finds him comforting for some reason. "Yes," Wanda nods.

And that is how Wanda finds herself walking next to Vision towards the common room. Wanda's breathing gets rapid as all the Avengers turn to stare at her, their thoughts likely about how they don't want her there. Wanda avoids reading their minds and does not make eye contact with any of them.

"Wanda, Vision, take a seat," Tony cheerfully waves them over, always the one to talk in a tense situation. "We were just choosing a movie. How does _How to Train Your Dragon_ sound?"

"That sounds great," Vision replies, doing a quick Google search of the movie and seeing many positive reviews. "Wanda?"

"That's fine," Wanda mumbles, eager to draw attention away from herself as she sits down stiffly next to Vision.

As Tony gets the movie ready, Vision can't help noticing the typical signs that Sir… Tony isn't coping well. His eyes are bloodshot and his smile fades as soon as he turns around to put the DVD in. Looking around, Vision notices similar signs of distress from the other Avengers. None of them seem to be sleeping well, if the dark circles under their eyes are any indication. Yet the Avengers seem to be more concerned about Wanda than each other, sneaking quick glances at her to make sure she's alright. As Steve looks at Wanda, he seems surprised about something. Vision looks at Wanda to see what she's doing and discovers that she is shaking, and her hands are glowing red!

Recognizing a panic attack, Vision instinctively reaches out and holds Wanda's hand, hoping the action will calm her down.

Wanda grips Vision's hand back, grateful for the comfort. It is the first time the two of them have held hands, and Wanda is surprised just how human his hand feels. His skin is slightly cooler and thicker than an average human's but compared to the pokey metal of Ultron or Tony Stark's Iron Man suits, it is quite amazing. Then Wanda notices the Avengers staring at her. Blushing, she lets go of Vision's hand.

Vision's only intent had been to comfort Wanda, and he had achieved his goal. Wanda's hands stopped glowing the instant he had held her hand. So why, then, does he wish she would hold his hand a bit longer?

Just then, the movie starts, and the Avengers watch as kids from a world more cheerful than theirs learn to befriend dragons. There are some sad moments in the movie though. "No!" Wanda shouts, as Hiccup falls towards the fire. Vision's hand is quick to find Wanda's, to comfort her, or so he tells himself.

By the time the Avengers start playing _How to Train Your Dragon 2_ , Wanda feels more relaxed than she has in a long time. The other Avengers are no longer paying any attention to her, as they are too excited about the movie, and Vision's calm personality is rubbing off on her. Wanda's eyelids start to droop, so she reaches up and stretches for a few seconds to try to stay awake. After all, she doesn't want to take a nap in the same room as the murderous Tony Stark. Yet Vision's presence is so relaxing that Wanda soon finds herself nodding off, her head falling diagonally backwards and to the right to land on Vision's shoulder.

"Sorry," Wanda whispers, pulling her head back up as she realizes what happened.

Vision just smiles. "It is fine," he replies.

Wanda tries not to fall asleep, she really does, but it isn't long before her head is once again on Vision's shoulder. This time, Wanda lets her head rest there, pretending to be asleep. With Vision's outfit and Wanda's hair between them, Wanda can't tell at all that Vision's skin is different than a human's. The closeness is relaxing….

Vision notices Wanda's breathing slow down. He slowly turns his head to look at her and discovers that she has fallen asleep. Vision smiles as he continues watching the movie. Eventually, he lets his eyes close as well, not because he needs to sleep, but because he wants to tune out the movie to focus on the amazing and beautiful woman next to him.


	5. WinterWidow

**AN: Here is a hurt/comfort chapter starring Bucky Barnes and Natasha Romanov, aka WinterWidow. AU set anytime between Civil War and Infinity War.**

WinterWidow

 _Click click._

Natasha leaps out of bed before her eyes are even open. The sound of someone drawing a gun can break Natasha out of even the deepest sleep. She lunges towards the intruder who is shakily pointing a gun at the bedroom door, kicks the gun out of his hands, catches it in her own, and aims it at him. Only then does she realize the man isn't an intruder at all, but rather Bucky Barnes.

Natasha swears in Russian. "Jesus, Buck," she says lowering the gun, as Bucky turns around and stares right through her.

"…'Tasha?" Bucky frowns, his eyes still unfocused. "They're coming!" he yells, turning his attention to the door of their room.

"Who's coming?" Natasha asks, already knowing the answer.

"The Germans!" Bucky exclaims, raising his hands. "I have to…." Bucky trails off as he realizes he is no longer holding the gun. He looks around and finally seems to notice Natasha took it.

"Bucky listen to me," Natasha says calmly. "There are no Germans here. You're in Wakanda. You're safe."

"No, the experiments…." Bucky mumbles. His eyelids droop lower and lower until he collapses to the ground and starts snoring.

Natasha sighs. It looks like tonight will be another of Bucky's bad nights. He has been getting better at staying in the present during the day, but his sleepwalking during nightmares is still a problem.

Natasha puts her gun in a new hiding place, one Bucky won't be able to find so easily, then turns her attention back to Bucky. After Natasha allowed Captain America and the other "criminal" Avengers to escape, Iron Man declared her a traitor, and she was forced to go on the run. It wasn't long before King T'Challa asked Natasha for her help. They were wondering if Natasha could help them undo some of Bucky's brainwashing, since she had undergone similar treatment in the Red Room. Natasha agreed, and it wasn't long before Bucky's condition began improving. Yet Bucky wasn't the only one changing for the better. Natasha, the battle-hardened spy who thought love is for children found herself falling for the handsome soldier. Bucky also seems to enjoy his time with Natasha, at least during his good days.

The tough Black Widow feels her heart breaking at the sight of Bucky sprawled out on the floor with a frown on his face, limbs occasionally twitching from another nightmare. She pulls the blankets off the bed and gently drapes them over Bucky, then she slides down under the blankets next to him. As Natasha curls up next to Bucky, his twitching quickly lessens until he drifts into a deep, dreamless sleep. It isn't long before Natasha joins him.

...

"'Tasha?" Bucky mumbles.

"Hmm?" Natasha mumbles, opening her eyes.

"Thanks," Bucky says. It takes Natasha a moment to realize that they are on the floor, with Bucky's metal arm digging painfully into her side, likely due to Bucky thrashing around during another nightmare.

"It's my job," Natasha replies as she stands up.

"No, stopping me from hurting people, _killing_ people is your job," Bucky replies, getting up shakily as well. He shakes his head. "I doubt comforting me is part of your job description." He lowers his eyes to the ground. "You don't have to, I don't deserve—"

"Maybe I want to," Natasha says, surprising herself. Bucky looks up at her, surprised as well. "Maybe I like spending time with the witty soldier who tells stories of the past."

"Sounds like a nice guy, when can I meet him?" Bucky jokes darkly.

Natasha sighs. "Just because you had one bad night…."

"Oh, is that what happened? Then why did you fall asleep here instead of guarding the door? I could have hurt—"

"Because I care about you!" Natasha blurts out. "Y-You have less nightmares when I'm next to you," Natasha mumbles, ignoring her spy training screaming at her to stop revealing her feelings, her _weaknesses_ to anyone.

Bucky just stares at her for a moment. "Whatever… this… is, it won't work. I'm not getting better—"

"—it takes time—"

"—it's been months, I've killed people-"

"—what do you think I did in the Red Room—"

"—MAYBE I'LL NEVER GET BETTER, MAYBE I'LL ALWAYS BE A MONSTER, AND JUST—"

Bucky's shouting stops abruptly as Natasha's lips crash against his. "Don't you ever call yourself a monster," Natasha says when they finally break apart. "You are more than what they made you, you are an amazing man. Besides, if you never get better, I guess I'll just have to be your guard forever," Natasha says, her tone of voice light, but her words sincere.

Bucky nods, stunned. "I suppose there are worse fates," he comments, running his hand along his lips where Natasha just kissed him.


	6. Stony

**AN: So, I was in the middle of writing a chapter when my laptop broke. Probably for the best, as the chapter wasn't that good. I noticed a request for Stony, so here is a Stony chapter from my new laptop! This takes place after the first** _ **Avengers**_ **movie and is slightly Fourth of July themed.**

Stony

"Do you have eyes on the target?" Nick Fury's voice asks from Steve Roger's earbud.

"Yes, he is leaving the building now," Steve replies.

"Good. The transport is at the end of the street. Get ready to cuff him if he runs your way."

"Yes sir!" Steve replies. Just then, the enemy agent notices the van full of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents and swears. He turns around, and Steve is there to block his way. Steve reaches out to grab the enemy, but the enemy jumps and starts climbing up the fire escape of the building they are next to. Steve starts climbing the fire escape as well. Up and up they go, to the top of the apartment building. Steve starts to wonder what this villain's plan is. Does he have a helicopter waiting for him on the roof?

Steve is so busy contemplating the enemy agent's possible plan that he doesn't notice the rock falling towards him until it's too late. The rock hits his hand, causing Steve to lose his grip on the fire escape and fall! Steve isn't too worried, as he's jumped out of a plane without a parachute before and was able to survive the hard landing, but, as it turns out, he won't have to survive one today.

"Jeez, Cap, before you decide to do a Captainball, make sure there's a pool under you!" Tony Stark says, catching Steve in his arms while hovering in midair in his Iron Man suit.

Steve coughs. "Thank you, Stark," he mumbles, both annoyed because he had everything under control, as well as flustered to find himself in the suave Tony Stark's arms. He tries not to think about it in a romantic way, because he's sure Tony doesn't feel the same.

"Here's your stop," Tony says, depositing Steve back on the fire escape. Tony then continues flying upwards towards where the criminal is.

"I can handle him Tony," Steve comments. "Did Fury call you to help?" he asks, finally recovering from being in Tony's arms enough to wonder why he was here.

"No, I was just flying overhead and saw this party," Tony replies. "I figured, the more, the merrier."

"Well, you figured wrong," Steve frowns. "This is a mission to apprehend a low-threat target that was supposed to show the leader of S.H.I.E.L.D. that my fighting skills haven't deteriorated from my time in the ice. No other Avengers are supposed to be involved."

"Lighten up, Capsicle," Tony teases. "I've got this covered." And with that, Tony proceeds to fly above the criminal, grab him off the roof, and fly him all the way down to the S.H.I.E.L.D. vehicle waiting below.

Steve sighs, his warm and fuzzy feelings for Tony flying away with him. He figures Fury will yell at Tony, and next time Tony will take his missions more seriously. Nope.

A few days later, Steve is once again on a mission, this time with Natasha. The two of them are tasked with stopping a mad scientist in a building full of scientists. Natasha is to get information out of the scientist while Steve stands guard outside the laboratory door to make sure none of the less-evil scientists try to stop them. Of course, the mission doesn't go according to plan, and Steve finds himself getting chased down the hall by a mutant flaming chicken who Steve assumes must be the result of whatever illegal experiment the scientist was working on.

Unfortunately, Tony once again arrives without invitation to save the day. And this time, he brought help. "Ooh, a Combusken," Tony comments as the elevator doors open. This causes the mutant chicken to turn its attention to Tony and charge at him. "Pikachu, I choose you!" Tony says, stepping to the side.

"WHO IS THIS PIKACHU YOU SPEEK OF?" Thor booms. "NO MATTER, I SHALL SLAY THIS FOUL BEAST!" Thor raises Mjolner.

"Thor, no!" Steve shouts, at the same time as Tony laughs. "Foul beast. Good one, Thor. You know, because fowl." When Thor just looks confused, Tony sighs. "Tough crowd."

Gritting his teeth, Steve realizes it's up to him to be the responsible adult here. "Don't kill the chicken, he's probably not evil, just scared."

Thor looks skeptical. "If you insist, Rogers," he says, lowering Mjolner. The chicken slows to a stop but looks at Thor wearily. When Thor continues to just stand there, the chicken's flames fade away. Steve realizes the flames must be some kind of mutant power of the chicken's that it can control, as it is not actually burnt or anything.

"J.A.R.V.I.S., bring me the robotic animal carrier," Tony says to his A.I., because obviously Tony built a robotic animal carrier. Obviously.

"Tony, be careful not to scare it," Steve whispers, just as the robotic animal carrier crashes through the window, sending shards of glass flying everywhere.

"BAWK!" the chicken yells, flaming up again as it sprints away from the robotic animal carrier. Unfortunately, Tony isn't paying attention, and the chicken charges right into him! Tony's Iron Man suit prevents him from getting burnt, but it doesn't protect him from getting knocked over… and taking Steve along with him!

"Uh, heh heh, sorry," Tony mumbles, for once at a loss for words as he finds himself on top of Steve!

Steve feels his checks heat up, and is surprised to discover that Tony is blushing as well. Steve pushes the thought aside. He must be imagining things, it's just a trick of the light, that's all.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?"

Tony and Steve turn their heads to discover Natasha smirking at them.

"Wouldn't you like to know," Tony jokes to relieve the tension, as he stands up, at the same time as Steve tries to distract Natasha by saying, "The chicken is getting away!"

"You mean this chicken?" Natasha comments, raising her arms so that everyone can see the chicken resting in them with its eyes closed.

Steve gasps.

"Don't worry, he's just tranquilized," Natasha says. "He'll be perfectly fine in an hour or two. The scientist is tranquilized as well, which means there's nothing left to distract me from the interesting position I found the two of you in," Natasha says, quirking an eyebrow.

"Oh, yeah I tripped," Tony says. "Well, this has been fun, but I'm late for dinner with Pepper. See you later," Tony says, flying away.

"Wait, what were you doing here in the first place?! Steve yells, but Tony is already gone. Steve sighs. Just when he thinks Tony is the most handsome guy ever, Tony has to ruin it by doing something inmature... _again_. And of course, Tony would be going to dinner with Pepper. Steve notices Natasha staring at him and quickly tries to think about something else. The something else ends up being Thor. "Thor, what are you doing here?"

"THE MAN OF IRON PROMISED A GLORIOUS BATTLE!" Thor says.

"Of course he did," Steve grumbles.

"Romanov! Rogers! Why did I just see Stark flying my way?" Fury shouts in their earpieces.

Steve sighs again at all the trouble Tony has caused him. He doesn't think Tony could possibly be more annoying.

Two weeks later, Steve is proven wrong. It is the Fourth of July, which just so happens to be Steve's birthday as well. Steve planned on just cooking some burgers by himself at his apartment and maybe setting off some firecrackers in the evening. He wouldn't mind company, but he hasn't really made any friends since thawing out of the ice, so grilling on the balcony it is. Steve has just turned the grill on, when there's a knock on the door.

"Come in," Steve calls, since the door is unlocked.

"Surprise! Happy birthday!" Tony's unmistakable voice calls.

Surprised, Steve turns to face the door and discovers all five of the other Avengers smiling at him as from inside his apartment.

"We brought cake," Iron Man comments.

"Thanks, you didn't have to," Steve says. Maybe Tony isn't so bad after all.

Tony sets the cake down on the tiny table across from the grill as Thor, Bruce, Natasha, and Clint step out onto the balcony. Unfortunately, it's a small balcony, and with the table and the grill on it, everyone is crammed shoulder to shoulder.

"Here, let me make some space," Steve says, using his super strength to push the grill as far to the side as it will go, and then the table. As he does so, he takes a closer look at the cake on the table. Then he does a double take "WHAT THE—"

"Language," Tony snickers, but Steve barely even hears him, because on the cake is a picture of an elderly man with a walker wearing a Captain America t-shirt and frozen into a block of ice. Above the drawing is blue lettering reading "Happy Overpatriatic 100th Birthday!"

Steve shakes his head. "You just had to put every single joke on there you could think of."

Tony completely ignores Steve's angry look and leans closer. "Just between you and me, is the Fourth of July your real birthday, or did you just start pretending that after you became Captain America?"

"It's my real birthday, an unfortunate coincidence," Steve grumbles.

"Oh, I almost forgot, presents!" Tony says.

Natasha, who had been watching the entire conversation the two of them had been having, frowns. "Shouldn't we wait until after the food to open presents?" she asks, as Hawkeye and Thor bring coolers full of food out and try to make room for them on the table.

"Not this present!" Tony insists, just as a whirring sound gets louder and louder.

The five other Avengers look up as the robotic animal carrier starts flying towards the balcony. Bruce looks back and forth from Tony to the animal carrier. "Oh no. That's not what I think it is, is it?"

"Yep!" Tony grins. "The scientists at S.H.I.E.L.D. finished examining the mutant chicken and declared it in good health. Steve, meet your new pet, Ruby!

The robotic pet carrier chooses that unfortunate moment to break down.

"Whoops, it's still in the testing phase," Tony comments, as the robotic pet carrier falls the last few feet to the ground and the door opens.

"BAWK!" Ruby screeches, flaming up. Steve takes a moment to notice that Ruby does, in fact, have ruby-red flames, and then Ruby is charging away…straight towards the firecrackers that are propped up against the table! The firecrackers go off with a bang, causing Ruby to bolt, this time in the opposite direction, towards the inside of Steve's apartment!

"Stop that chicken!" Steve yells. Bruce tries to shut the door, but he is too slow. The chicken careens into Steve's living room and the carpet catches on fire!

"I've got it!" Tony says, as the flying, fireproof pet carrier closes around the chicken and flies it out of the apartment.

Natasha and Clint share a look, and wordlessly, Natasha passes Clint the water balloons they filled up earlier in preparation for a water balloon fight. Clint uses his archery aim to throw the water balloons at the burning section of carpet, and after a few balloons, the fire goes out.

Of course, that doesn't mean everything is alright. Steve looks in dismay from the steaming, wet, burnt spot on his carpet, to Bruce, who is struggling not to Hulk out, to Tony, who finally has the decency to look guilty.

Steve glares at Tony. "Leave. Now."

For once, Tony has nothing to say. He just nods, closing the screen door behind him as he leaves the balcony. The robotic pet carrier soon follows.

The remaining Avengers try to make the rest of Steve's birthday cheerful, but Steve's heart just isn't into it. At one point, Steve goes inside to get another garbage bag to put everyone's used paper plates and utensils in, when his sketchbook catches his eye. Steve turns to the page with the best of his drawings of Tony on it. Steve shakes his head. "Stupid jerk," he tells the drawing, scribbling lines over it with his pencil as hard as he can. "You ruin my missions, ruin my house, I can't believe I liked you!"

"So, you do like him."

Steve yelps, turning around to find Natasha with her hand on her hip. He hadn't even heard her enter the room. "Did," Steve sighs.

Natasha nods and just stares at Steve for a few seconds, seeming to look right into his soul. After a few seconds, she seems satisfied with what she finds. "I'm making a call, Natasha announces, then walks away.

Steve returns to the party a bit confused. A few minutes later, there is a knock on the door. Everyone freezes.

"If that's Tony, want me to kick his ass for you?" Clint asks.

Steve shakes his head. "I can handle it." Steve walks to the door and opens it, and sure enough, there's Tony.

"I'm really sorry, Steve," Tony blurts out. "I never meant for things to go this far."

Steve frowns, wondering what Tony means. "Go on," Steve says, crossing his arms over his chest sternly.

"Can we talk outside?" Tony asks, gesturing to where the other Avengers are trying and failing to casually eavesdrop on their conversation without being noticed.

"Ok," Steve agrees. The two of them leave Steve's apartment and head down to the sidewalk, which is surprisingly empty. Everyone must be away getting ready to watch fireworks.

"Did you really think I would like a pet mutant chicken?" Steve asks.

"I heard you had a dog as a kid. Seemed likely," Tony comments.

"Yes, I would like another dog, but not a flaming mutant chicken, not in my tiny, flammable apartment. Maybe the X-Men would want him, but I just want an ordinary dog.

Tony nods. "I could have gotten you a dog, but so could anyone else. A mutant chicken though, now that's something special."

"Yes…." Steve says, scrunching up his face in confusion. He isn't sure where Tony is going with this. "I'm not just angry about the chicken though, Tony. Why are you always showing up uninvited to my missions?"

"To show you how cool my suits are."

"Tony, everyone knows your Iron Man suits are cool, you don't have to show off."

"No, to show _you_ how cool they are." Tony sighs. "Growing up, my old man was always prattling on about how great Captain America was. I figured the only way you'd like me was if I showed you I could be just as great of a hero as you."

"L-Like me?" Steve stutters.

"Yeah, you don't want some useless teammate, and seeing as I'm the only one besides Hawkeye without powers…."

Steve tunes out the rest of Tony's speech as he realizes Tony doesn't, in fact, like him in a romantic way. That is, until Natasha stomps up to them. "Tony, this is ridiculous. Just tell him you like him!"

Steve whips his head around to look at Tony, who is looking back and forth nervously between Steve and Natasha as though deciding who is the bigger threat. He finally settles on Steve. "So, I like guys."

Steve's eyes widen. "What? I thought you were dating Pepper?"

"Yes, that is what the tabloids are saying, isn't it?" Tony idly comments. He playfully waves a finger at Steve. "A good rule for the internet age: don't trust everything you read, it's most likely false and/or photoshopped."

Natasha makes a "continue" motion with her finger.

Tony sighs. "What is true is that I don't like Pepper. I like you. Iron Man out." And with that, Tony's Iron Man armor starts forming around his body.

"Tony, I like you too!" Steve exclaims, not wanting Tony to just fly away after revealing that he likes him.

"Pft, yeah right," Tony grumbles. "You're Mr. Perfect Captain America. No way you're gay."

"Maybe I'm not as perfect as you think, Steve retorts. "My birthday may be the 4th of July, but there's other facts about myself that I did lie about. For one, America in the 40's didn't approve of gay people. That mindset is part of why I didn't act on my feelings. Well, that and you were being annoying. Why were you teasing me so much?"

"Well..."

"It's how he shows he cares," Natasha interrupts. "He teases the people he cares about the most. I don't even need my super-spy people-reading skills to spot a guy acting stupid because he's in love. Speaking of which, Clint, you owe me five bucks.

"Dang it," Clint says, dropping out an air vent and handing Natasha five bucks. "No way they're dating, she said. Easy money, she said."

"Seriously? Are all the Avengers watching this?" Tony asks as he puts his Iron Man armor away. "Go on, shoo!"

Clint and Natasha walk towards the apartment, and with one final wink from Natasha, they head back inside, leaving Tony and Steve alone. The two of them share a nervous look.

"Tony, wherever we go from here, let's agree to never do dumb things to impress each other or hide our true feelings. I like you the way you are."

"So do I," Tony replies.

"Shake on it?" Steve asks, holding out his hand for a good, old-fashioned hand shake.

"Sure," Tony replies, but instead of shaking Steve's hand, he holds it. It is at that exact moment that fireworks start going off downtown.

"It's like this moment…" Tony begins.

"…was made for us," Steve finishes.

Tony steps closer to Steve and rests his head on Steve's shoulder. The two of them watch the fireworks for a long time.


	7. Romanogers

**AN: Sorry, I've been both busy and somewhat loosing inspiration for this story lately. I noticed a Romanogers request so here it is! This takes place anytime between** _ **Captain America: Winter Soldier**_ **and** _ **Captain America: Civil War**_ **. I also just noticed that all but the FrostIron chapter featured the two characters realizing they like each other for the first time, so to mix things up, here is a chapter where Steve and Natasha have been dating for a while.**

Romanogers

"Thank you, Steve, this is a nice break from our missions," Natasha comments, smiling at Steve as the two of them walk, in disguise down the main street of the amusement park while holding hands.

"You're welcome," Steve smiles back. "I figured we were both exhausted from the missions Fury continually sends us on. When he gave us the entire week off from missions, I thought it was too good to be true. You wouldn't have anything to do with that, would you?" Steve asks, giving Natasha a sideways glance.

Natasha just smirks. "A spy never reveals her secrets."

"I thought that was magicians?" Steve teases.

"Aww! Look, a giant pony!" Natasha says, pointing towards a fair game where one of the prizes is a fuzzy pony toy that is as big as a small child.

"Want to win it?" Steve smiles, amused at Natasha's childish behavior. It had taken her awhile to relax around the Avengers, but when not in spy mode, she can be surprisingly goofy. It's one of the many things Steve loves about her.

"Well… if it's not too much trouble…." Natasha says.

Confidently, Steve approaches the counter. "One round, please," he says, handing the game operator the money to play.

The guy smiles. "Alrightie, here's yer three darts," he says, handing Steve the darts. "Hit a balloon to win a prize," he gestures to the wall full of various-sized balloons to his right. "The smaller the balloon, the bigger yer prize."

Steve nods. "Thank you, sir." Steve takes aim at the smallest balloon that will win the giant pony, he shoots the dart… and ends up hitting the bigger balloon above it.

"Ooh, so close," the game operator comments.

Steve takes aim a second time, fires the dart… and misses again. This time, the dart lands slightly below the small balloon, so close that it doesn't even hit the balloon below it.

"Ooh, tough luck, the game operator says. "Would you like to buy three more darts for half off the original price?"

"I've got this, thanks," Steve replies, a look of deep concentration on his face.

"You can do it Steve!" Natasha cheers. "And if you don't, I can always shoot my own prize."

"I know," Steve replies, "but I like making you smile." And with that, Steve takes his final shot and hits the small balloon.

"Well, what do ya know, it's yer lucky day! Is the pony what you'll be wantin'?"

"Yes please," Steve and Natasha say, grinning like children as the man hands Natasha the pony.

"You know what I think this pony needs?" Natasha asks as they walk away from the game.

"What?" Steve asks.

"A friend," Natasha replies. "I think that bear is calling your name," Natasha teases, tilting her head in in the direction of another game down the path that is selling equally oversized teddy bears.

Steve just smiles. "Who knew the fearsome Black Widow liked stuffed animals?" he teases. "You sure act like a child sometimes. Are you sure you don't want kids?" he asks, the words slipping out before he has a chance to think them over.

Instantly, Natasha's smile crumbles. Without a word, she walks away.

"Natasha, wait!" Steve exclaims. He runs after Natasha just in time to watch her return the stuffed pony to the game operator. "On second thought, carrying this toy around is impractical. Please give it to the next kid that shows interest in it," she says, handing it back to the man.

"Sure can do!" the man beams, setting the toy next to him on the counter.

"Natasha…." Steve whines, sad to see she is masking her emotions again.

"It really is impractical," Natasha replies in a monotone voice, quickly walking away.

"Natasha, wait," Steve runs after her. "Is it because I brought up having kids again?"

"What more is there to discuss?!" Natasha yells, turning around so quickly Steve almost falls over from the effort of stopping himself from crashing into her. "I already told you, after the Red Room, I can't have kids, so stop bringing it up!"

"Natasha," Steve murmurs. "I'm sorry, I should have thought before I spoke. I was talking about adoption, although if you don't want kids, I would understand—"

"You don't understand!" Natasha exclaims, turning to walk away again.

"Then tell me what's wrong so I can!" Steve exclaims, rushing to catch up with Natasha again. "Please. Please don't just go into spy mode and hide your feelings. Let me help."

Natasha sighs, finally slowing to a stop and turning to face Steve. "Steve… I do want kids, but I don't think they'd want me." At Steve's confused face, Natasha continues, "I didn't have a childhood, not really. Just a few years I can barely remember before I became a child soldier. I don't think I know how to raise a kid."

"I think you're underestimating yourself," Steve replies. "You seemed to do alright with Clint's kids. Really though, it's not a big deal. We don't have to have kids. I just want you to be happy."

Natasha nods, looking like she's about to cry.

"Tell you what," Steve decides. "why don't we go on a ride? You said earlier you were interested in that new rollercoaster, right?"

"Sure," Natasha whispers.

The two of them wait in line in awkward silence. Thankfully, the line isn't too long. The sky is overcast, causing people to think twice about coming to the amusement park on a potentially rainy day. The two of them take their seats, and it isn't long before Natasha screams in delight as they go down the big hill. Steve, too, is enjoying the adrenaline rush. This rollercoaster offers not just one, but two big hills with chains taking riders to the top. The second hill even has a loop-de-loop and a corkscrew right after it. It's not as exciting as jumping out of a plane without a parachute, but as far as rollercoasters go, it's the best Steve's been on. Steve looks over at Natasha as the ride comes to a stop and is relieved to see her smiling slightly.

"Would you like to go on another rollercoaster?" Steve asks.

"Ok," Natasha replies.

A few rollercoasters later, and Natasha is back to her old cheerful self. "Whew!" she cheers. "You'd think that after jumping out of buildings and fighting aliens, rollercoasters wouldn't be that exciting, but I still love them."

"Me too," Steve replies. "And you know what else I love? You."

"Aww, Steve," Natasha smiles as she blushes. Looking deep into Steve's eyes, she leans forwards.

Steve takes a step closer, and their lips meet.

"I'm sorry I got so angry earlier," Natasha says when they finally break apart. "Kids are just a touchy subject for me."

"I understand," Steve replies. "Sorry for being pushy about it.

"It's ok," Natasha replies. "Oh look, there's an ice-cream stand. That sounds good right now. Would you like any?"

"Sure, could you get me one vanilla in a cone?" Steve asks, handing her the money to pay for his.

Natasha shakes her head. "You and your vanilla ice-cream."

"What? It's a classic," Steve says, pretending to be hurt.

"It's boring," Natasha teases. "Trying new things can be fun too," she says as she orders her favorite: mint chocolate chip.

The two of them sit down on a bench together and eat their ice-cream. Steve smiles as the sun comes out from behind the clouds.

"This has been a nice break from missions," Natasha says, echoing Steve's thoughts. "Want to ride the Ferris Wheel after this?"

"Sure," Steve replies.

The two of them hold hands and watch the view below them as they go around and around on the Ferris Wheel. They are so relaxed that it takes them a few seconds to recognize the screams coming from their left!

"The rollercoaster!" Natasha gasps, looking to their left to discover that part of the new rollercoaster's track collapsed, and a rollercoaster car full of riders is heading right towards it! "If that rollercoaster car isn't stopped, all the people in it will die!"

"On it," Steve says, jumping out of their Ferris Wheel car even though it's all the way at the top. Natasha isn't far behind, leaping down the axels of the Ferris Wheel like some Uzumaki ninja. The two of them sprint over to the rollercoaster and start climbing up the sides, but Steve fears they are too late. He hoists himself up to where he is just to the left of the collapsed section of the track and raises his head above the track just in time to watch the rollercoaster car barrel straight towards him… slower and slower… until it comes to a stop?!

"Look!" Natasha gasps, pointing to something behind the rollercoaster car. Steve looks and sees some guy in a red hoodie and blue jeans pulling the rollercoaster car back with what appears to be thin ropes. As Steve watches, the guy presses a button on his techy-looking gloves, the place where the ropes are coming out of, causing the ropes to detach and fall to the ground.

Steve steps onto the tracks and walks over to the mystery hero. "Thank you si—son," Steve corrects himself, switching his greeting to "son", what people in Steve's day used to refer to anyone under the age of eighteen, because as Steve gets a closer look at the guy, he realizes there's no way this teenager is eighteen yet. Steve can't see much of the teen's face, as his hoodie is pulled about as far down as it will go, and the teen is purposely tilting his head down even more to avoid his face being seen. Still, the pair of brown eyes and bit of the teen's chin he can see certainly look young.

"Uh, y-yeah you're welcome," the teen replies. "You should probably climb down now. It's not safe."

Steve chuckles. "Kid, I know what I'm doing." When the teen still doesn't look convinced, Steve raises the visor of the hat he is wearing, allowing the kid to take a good look at his face.

"No way! You're Captain America!" the teen yells. "And Black Widow!" he exclaims, as Natasha gets rid of her hat and sunglasses as well.

Steve smiles. "Yes. Now, I think it's time to get these people down from the ride," Steve says, gesturing to the panicked people trapped in the rollercoaster car. "If you will just step aside—"

"Oh, no sir, I can help! I'm a superhero too!" The teen exclaims.

"I'm not sure I've heard of you," Steve comments. "That rollercoaster save was impressive though."

"Thanks! I just started being a hero last week. I got bitten by this radioactive spider, and then I made these webs and—"

SCREEEEECH!

"AAAAAAH!" The teen screams as the section of track they are standing on sways like it's about to fall.

Natasha swears in Russian. "This entire track is unsafe. Talk later, save these people now!" With that, Natasha helps a rider out of the rollercoaster car and towards a set of narrow rescue stairs on the side of the rollercoaster track that all rollercoasters seem to have. Steve follows suit. The two of them walk down the stairs in front of the two nervous riders, ready to catch them if they fall. What they weren't expecting was that the teen would jump off the side of the rollercoaster with a screaming passenger clinging onto him!

"NO!" Natasha and Steve shout. They rush down the stairs, Natasha leaping over the person in front of her to do so… only to watch as the teen shoots ropes from his gloves and attaches them to the metal supports of the track, swinging himself and the person he's carrying to a gentle landing on the ground.

"Don't worry, I've got webs," the teen grins. Then he gasps. "My spider-sense is tingling!" As if on cue, the section of the track the roller-coaster is on sways more violently than before.

Natasha swears again. "We won't have time to rescue everyone."

"We need a plan," Steve agrees.

"I've got it!" the teen announces. "You know that really old movie, _The Incredibles_?"

Steve and Natasha shake their heads.

"Um, well there's this lady, Mrs. Incredible. She's super-stretchy, and she keeps this van from falling by stretching her arms out in front of her and her legs out behind her and holding onto a plane."

Steve frowns. "I'm not sure I see where you're going with this. Are you super-stretchy?"

"No, but my webs are. If you push the rollercoaster car off the track, I can attach webs between it and the track and gently lower it to the ground."

"I don't know…" Steve hesitates, not sure if the thin ropes… webs, whatever that the teen is using are really strong enough to lower the heavy rollercoaster car to the ground.

"Trust the kid," Natasha says in her "End of discussion." voice.

Steve nods. "I can push the car over, but you have to be ready," he tells the teen.

"Ok!" the teen replies, already starting to climb up the side of the roller-coaster. Steve climbs up as well, while Natasha remains below to call out instructions and make sure everything is going alright.

Steve makes it to the top just as the track wobbles again. "Ready?" he calls to the teen.

"Ready!" the teen replies, somehow holding on to a vertical metal pole without sliding down it. Natasha realizes he must have some kind of sticking power, or at least sticky gloves.

"Ok, it's coming to you," Steve calls, starting to push the rollercoaster car towards the section of track that already collapsed while the riders still inside nervously look at either Captain America or the ground.

"Got it!" the teen calls, shooting webs at the rollercoaster car and attaching them to the wobbly section of track. Like before, the webs attach and start to slow the fall of the car. Unfortunately, the metal rollercoaster car with twenty people inside weighs a lot more than two people.

"NO!" the teen shouts, as the swinging rollercoaster car finally causes the section of track to collapse! He leaps off the track and starts shooting webs at the far section of track all the way across the gap of the collapsed section. It takes twenty webs, but he finally manages to swing the rollercoaster car away from the collapsing track and slow its fall enough that the people in it will survive… only to watch as the ground comes up to meet him! He was so busy saving the people that he forgot to save himself! He shoots a web, but it won't make it in time and—

"Gotcha!" Natasha says, catching the heroic teen in her arms. The impact hurts, as the teen was falling very quickly, but it's nothing that her super-spy serum can't heal. The important thing is that the teen is alive.

"Thanks," the teen gasps, gazing at Natasha with slightly unfocused brown eyes. Then his eyes focus, and he winces, pulling his hood down lower as though not wanting to be recognized.

"That was a very brave thing you did," Steve says, having emerged safely from the rollercoaster track wreckage. "What's your name, son?"

"Um, actually, I don't have a superhero name yet," the teen says, looking around nervously. "Oh look, is that the Hulk?" he yells, pointing in the opposite direction of himself. Steve and Natasha turn around to look, but there is nothing there. "Gotta go, bye!" And with that, the teen takes off running.

"Smart kid, trying to keep somewhat of a normal life," Natasha comments. As if on cue, the paparazzi show up and start questioning her and Steve.

Natasha sighs when, two hours later, she and Steve are finally done answering the reporters' questions. "I'm sorry that this day off hasn't been very relaxing."

"It's ok," Steve replies. "We can't really take a vacation from being heroes. As long as I have you by my side, that's what matters," Steve says, holding Natasha's hand as they walk back to the amusement park entrance.

Natasha smiles. "You know, that kid was really amazing. Maybe… maybe we should adopt kids someday…"

Steve nods slowly, not wanting to seem overly eager, just that he wants to hear what she has to say.

"…after we're married," Natasha finishes.

Steve looks at Natasha in surprise, causing her to smile. He had thought about asking Natasha to marry him, but feared it was too soon. He is ecstatic to discover Natasha has been thinking about it as well. The two of them talk in hushed voices as they make their way back to their apartment.


End file.
